technologies that can help with school safety. so certainly we think that it is broad enough to look at all of those. >> i know that one of you said that this was a marathon and not a sprint, do you have a time frame maybe of telling us publicly about your first really good idea? are we talking about weeks or months or something that is going to go on for over several years? >> well, the things are going to happen very soon. things are going to happen very late. we are going to have efforts that evolve over time. from a marathon perspective, when you look at cultural change, you look at society change that is generational. this could be 20, 30 years, this could be similar to how we deal with drunk driving and how we move forward there. it was not something that happened quickly. in terms of innovation? i believe that we have already seen innovation, and one thing that we are hoping will happen here with more funding is that some of these innovations will

see the light of day and come to light and mature sooner and we hope that some are soon and some will take longer. >> do you want to add, please? >> companies already exist in this space and we are going to talk to some of those companies at the town hall at noon. so, it is early days, but this sector already has companies in it for gun safety, and mental health and school safety. what we want to do is innovate more. so, i would say in a year from now we will be able to point to start ups that started after today that are just starting to grow. i was an early invester in google, facebook and twitter, it takes two to three years before those companies reach scale. but a year from now, we will be able to point to the googles, the facebook and twitters, who

are working in gun safety. this is a huge sector for innovation. >> you were asked what sort of a budget this is. this will be better if you give us a low figure and you give us a range. i can tell you that this is going to play better with the financial figure. >> i am happy to give you an estimate. i am hoping a year from now, that the tech community has invested $15 million in brand new start ups who are seeking innovation for the reduction of gun violence, mental health and school safety. and companies already exist. and this would be seed funding probably in 15 to 20 companies. >> one of the problems in congress is obviously is a lack of unity around what needs to be done particularly around the

gun safety issue. within your own, with 50 or 150, how is it handling those differences in opinions about what needs to be done? could that derail this who process? or is there a complete unity? >> in this community? in the tech community? >> yes. >> are you asking about the tech community? >> sure. >> okay. yes. part of the beauty of innovation is that it is non-partisan. and part of the other beauty of innovation is the best solutions prevail. and so, when we strip away points of view, and focus in on what technologies will actually work. we shift the equation from rhetoric to pragmatics. which products can get get to be field tested? which smart gun technologies will pass the government lab

testing? and right now, if you wanted to buy a smart gun, you would have a very difficult time doing it. but what we can do in technology is advance the state, such that you have that option. and so, we are really careful to make sure that we focus in on innovation and use a tried and true, trusted process in the silicon valley and let the best ideas be the ones that are the ones that are commercially viable. >> give us some ideas, (inaudible). >> sure. the field of smart gun technology is an interesting field. it spans academic research, commercial research, a lot of the federal funding for smart gun technology in the u.s. stopped in the late 90s. and so, part of the excitement that we have here today is the

ability to reignite, the innovation and creativity around some of those promising technologies. some of those include pass codes, others include electronic firing pins and others include rfids and so that you need to be in the proximity of a wrist band, of a ring, in order for the gun to fire. so when we called upon the tech community earlier in january to send us all of their ideas, we heard that there were a lot more ideas that could be pursued. those include gps, and having software systems on the guns. and a bunch of ideas that may seem crazy today. but through the innovative process, we can see which ones are actually viable for safe schools, a lot of them have

centralized pa systems. we have pushed the talk systems today. such that there does not need to be a centralized point for emergency response. and these are just some of the ideas that we have already heard and today it is through our nationwide call that we hope to hear even more ideas. and then, see which ones are the most promising. >> thank you very much for your attention. i think that one thing that you are seeing is we believe that the american way is more than just legislation, the american way is also about using our innovative spirit and we are igniting that today and so thank you very much. [ applause ] ♪@@to the fifth annual

awards here at san francisco city hall. thank you all so much for joining us here tonight. it is an honor to be here. my name is daniel homsby and i am the program manager for the neighborhood department networks. an honor to see you here. many of the same faces for the

fifth year for the men awards. let's give you an a plays for coming back. (applause) >> and celebrating one of the most important things we have in san francisco, which is our neighborhoods. without further ado, i'd like to start the program off by introducing my colleague, christina palone, the new director for the mayor's office for neighborhoods. christina palone. (applause) >> good evening, everyone. i'm happy to be a part of such a great ebit that celebrates the contributions made by residents and organizations throughout the city to make san francisco one of the greatest places to live. the mayor's office of neighborhood services also known as mons focuses on neighborhood outreach and engagement. it is an honor to be here with community leaders who are dedicated to the same principles and are positively changing our communities. the effect that one person can have in a community is truly inspiring. and it's that inspiration that drives each one of us to go out there and be a part of

something bigger. i congratulate every award winner here tonight and let's not forget that every person here has the power to make a difference. i want to especially thank daniel and his team for being such instrumental leaders here in city hall on behalf of all communities and neighborhoods in san francisco. with that said, welcome and enjoy tonight's event. (applause) >> thank you, christina. so, before we jump into the fire works, as you would say, let's take a few seconds here and just go over some of the elements of tonight's event. so, tonight we're going to be giving out 12 awards. for those of you that came to the first nen awards, you recall it finished about an hour ago. so, we've modified the format in the last two years. so, tonight what will happen is that tonight we will hear from the people that nominated the

winners who will dive deep into talking about thighs illustrious individuals and organizations. and the individuals will receive the award. now, tonight the people that will be making remarks from this podium will be the people receiving the hall of fame award and the lifetime achievement award. the balance of the individuals and organizations that will receive awards are going to be interviewed by our nen tv film crew in the north court during the reception. you can watch the interviews and how their feelings of joy and passion about receiving the awards and we will post all of them on the internet as well as hopefully make them available on s.f. government tv. you will have a chance to hear from the wins wynners. we're going to try to consolidate the program and do the second half in the reception. which brings up the fact once again we have the amazing st. john event doing our food in the north light court. so, at the conclusion of this evening's event we ask you all join us in the north light court to enjoy a wonderful

selection of food and wine and drinks. i'd also like to take a moment, of course, and thank mayor lee for once again extending the invitation to host the event here as well at city hall as well as our new city administrator naomi kelly who will be making remarks here promptly in a little bit. and thank them for their generous hospitality not only 230er this event but for this program because without their leadership and support the neighborhood department network would not exist. i'd also like to thank the folks at the city hall events team who every year make this event come together and make it a success. in addition, i'd like to also thank our sponsors. * once again, pg&e the fifth year in a row stepped up and become a major sponsor here for the neighborhood empowerment network. we have two new event sponsors this year. we have next door, which is a new online program here in san francisco, new neighborhood service which many of people in this room are using. you'll have more chance to hear from this if you advise the the life night court event. sterling bank, one of the great

local banks we have here in san francisco. without further ado we'd like to begin tonight's program and we're going to start off with a message from mayor ed lee. >> good evening, everyone, and welcome to the fifth annual neighborhood empowerment network awards. while i'm unable to attend this year's event, i want to express my deep appreciation to tonight's award recipients for the extraordinary work and service that they provide to our cities, neighborhoods every day. all of the award recipients share one common goal. and that is to ensure that san francisco continues to be the best place to live, visit, and do business. i am proud to be the mayor of a city where residents and civic leaders are partners and work together to tackle challenges and find innovative solutions to keep our neighborhoods world class. thank you for attending this important event, and thank you to the neighborhood empowerment

network for your dedication and commitment to our neighborhoods. keep up the great work and have a wonderful evening here at the nen awards. (applause) >> the first award we're going to be presenting tonight is an award that for many people is an award that is one of the top highlights of the event, and that is an opportunity to induct someone into the nen hall of fame. the hall of fame is an opportunity to take a moment and celebrate the lifetime of the contribution that an individual has made to our city and perhaps just seize the opportunity perhaps if they haven't been highlight and had elevated for that contribution here in city hall in the rotunda to do so. this year's nen hall of fame inductee is bernice.

[speaker not understood] to talk more about her contributions to the city. jen? (applause) >> hi, my name is jennifer banta and i am proud to nominate bernice beng to the nen hall of fame. bernice being was a visionary artist. she was born, raised, educated and worked in san francisco. * bing. she graduated from the first mfa class of the san francisco art institute in 1961. she was good friends with joan brown and jay de feo. shes what an integral part of the art scene in north beach. she was also part of the first argot lin artist's in residence program in 1967 and spent the better part of the '70s deeply devote today community arts and activism. she was part of the founding member of scrap, and she was involved with the neighborhood arts program during its

insanction. -- inception. she went on to found the san francisco cultural arts center and she is the first director. i am excited to share with you i'm working with the asian american women artists association and film maker madelein limb to bring you the world of bernice bing, a documentary we're working on now about her life and work and it's going to premiere in june of 2013. thank you so much for this honor. it's long overdue. (applause) (applause)

>> good evening. it's an honor to accept this award on behalf of the bernice bing estate. thank you. (applause) ♪ ♪ ♪ >> again, congratulations. now we'd like to make a slight modification in our program this evening and we're going to be moving to the award for best merchant association of the year, the lower haight merchant association. i'd like to invite walking tours up and the mayor's office of economic development.

our newest supervisor, supervisor london breed. let's give him a round of applause. (applause) ♪ ♪ >> hi, are you going to speak first or me? >> you, please. >> hi, everybody. i'm so happy to be here to celebrate this -- what is it, the neighborhood empowerment network awards. this is like the fifth year that this has happened and i remember just about two years ago when the divisadero corridor received the same award. so, it is truly an honor to be here as the district 5 supervisor. the neighborhood i live in, to see many of the people i know, they're all sitting in the front row. i see you, joe, from john mere pierre from the meat store and pierre was front and center when that fire happened on walgreens on fillmore and haight and getting those people out. thea shelby who has been working really hard, one of the founders of the lower haight merchant and neighborhood associations. she has been a tireless

advocate in this area for public safety. i'm so happy to see you here. devon, the new president and thea has served as the president for the past two years, and devon is now taking over as the new president. and wing-wings, wing-wings, one of my favorite places. lisa is here from wing-wings, and dick, one of my favorite people from the lower haight, i am so happy to see you all here. i wanted to just come and congratulate. is there someone else here? oh, robert, hi, sweety. he's always there for you. he's amazing guy. and thank you all so much for being here. i'm just here as the supervisor, my first event to honor you, to support you, to thank you for not just being in the neighborhood, but really opening up your doors and caring about the neighborhood. caring about what happens to the people there, caring about what happens to the businesses, not just your own business, but

all the businesses. i love the lower haight because it's like a family. it's a real community. it's an amazing place to eat. it's amazing place to shop. it's amazing place to be. and you are so deserving of this award. and i couldn't be proud eras district 5 supervisor and also as a resident of the lower haight. so, thank you and congratulations on your award. and i'm just here to actually crash the event, to just say congratulations because you all are some of my favorite people in this district. thank you very much. (applause) >> can i leave or you want me to stay? >> oh, stay. supervisor breed, thank you so much for being here. it's always a pleasure and it is a great mesh tower stand on this stage with you in your new position as supervisor of district 5. it's a great honor always to be able to recognize the incredible work that is a.m. done by people throughout our city who really do the work once all of us from the city and our partners leave the

stage, as it were, because as the supervisor mentioned, once we're gone, we need other people to pick it up and make sure our streets are active, that people feel safe, people feel comfortable. our next award recipient, the lower hate and merchants neighborhood association is one of those incredible partners like so many of you here tonight that is truly deserving of this award. it was gibe ons, the head wig of the wig party in san francisco that nominated this organization. i would like to invite morgan to come up now and make a few remarks. * he's making sure san francisco remains san francisco. and, so, morgan, please come on up to the stage. (applause) >> thank you very much. my name is morgan fits gibbons. it is one of my favorite organizations here in the city. it is the third year in a row i'm nominated the winner.

last year was divisadero corridor. that might help us get one of these awards in the future. what do you think, daniel? [laughter] >> this year we're proud to give the award for best merchant association to lower haight merchant and neighborhood association a.k.a. lo hamna, rolls off the tongue. [laughter] >> it's truly a great organization. we in our capacity, we work a lot with different neighborhood associations, different merchant associations. and far and away the lower haight merchants association is one of the best we had the pleasure to work with. that holds for always, but this past year was a really remarkable year for the organization. they dealt with some challenges, notably the water and fire, some public safety concerns. and they also had some success he. they have art walks really successful art walks four times a year. but then there's always another street fair happening. it's really, you know, we can celebrate their achievements, but it's really the spirit with which they do their work, the passion and the creativity and

the sense of community and bringing people to the table to figure out what's best for everybody that really lets them stand above the rest. so, bring up the award recipients. congratulate to the lower haight neighborhood association on their 2012 award. (applause) ♪ >> i just want to say a few quick words.

we do a great job in the lower haight. and i'm sure any other local or merchant association, you guys can do it as well. and if you need any input on anything, from crime in your neighborhood to how to do an art walk or event, just please contact the lower haight or haighter's nation and you can get in touch with either thea, dick, myself, or devon, joe, lisa, any one of us. so, please feel free to contact us. we'll be more than happy to help you, okay. >> thank you. (applause) >> thank you. ♪ >> and next i'd like to introduce a gentleman who needs no introduction here, especially in this room, but the director for the department of public works for the city and county of san francisco, mr. clean man, robin nu for our next award.

(applause) >> how is everyone doing? good. >> are we excited? yeah. >> all right, thank you. first of all, congratulations to all the awardees and to nen for doing such a great job. it is very, very important to honor all the people who are working hard to make our city be the beautiful and greener city it can be. big hand to all of you. (applause) >> all right. so, i'm up here to present the graffiti-watch volunteer award and the graffiti watch program is a program that started about four years ago. over 300 people enrolled in the program, and about 180 of very, very active people,. very, very active means those people go take time out of their busy day to go remove

graffiti and make san francisco be graffiti-free. and in that 180 there are very, very few that get up early in the morning, early -- i mean, 3:00, 4 o'clock to go and make sure the neighborhood is clean before everybody wakes up to see a nice clean street or nice clean wall. and the awardee tonight and the winner is larry win ham, if he would come up and receive his award. a big thank you to him. [cheering and applauding] ♪ >> congratulations, larry. * >> well, i don't know about 3:00 or 4 o'clock, but -- [laughter] >> that's a little too early. just like to keep our neighborhood clean and just somebody once said the difference between art and graffiti is permission. [laughter]

(applause) >> congratulations. ♪ >> our next award will be the most empowering city employee award. and i'd like to invite the city administrator for the city and county of san francisco naomi kelly to introduce this award. (applause) >> good evening, everyone. thank you for coming out this evening. it is my honor to just thank all of you and all of the award winners for all of the great work that you do in the community. you are the nuts and bolts of san francisco. you are what makes us resilient, which makes us -- which gives us character. and, so, we appreciate all of you.

these awards are important and they're an important opportunity for all of us at city hall to make a moment and salute the people and organizations that work hard every day to make our neighborhoods the very best that they are. so, i have the distinct pleasure to introduce one of my most favorite people, city employees here in san francisco. y'all just heard from mr. clean, and that's who we affectionally call the director of dpw mohammed nuru. and he has a right hand and that right hand, her name is sandra zanega. it doesn't matter what neighborhood you're in, you can call either one of them and they will tell you what's going on. they know what's going on in that neighborhood and they know the pumps of what's going on in that neighborhood. not only do they reach out to every neighborhood association, merchant association, but they also work hard with the corporate sponsors to make sure that they are committed to our neighborhoods, to making sure that they are clean, that the graffiti is removed, that the

dumping is taken away, that we have vibrant commercial corridors, vibrant commercial -- vibrant neighborhoods, and i couldn't be more pleased that she is the most important city employee for this year in empowering neighborhoods. i will also bring up a woman by the name of fran martin to come speak about sandra. (applause) >> my name is fran martin. i'm with the visitacion valley planning alliance and greenway project. i'm very proud and have the honor on behalf of many people in the city who nominated sandra for this award. i can't think of a better person for people from communities, from foundations, from the city staff have voted for this. and i can't think of a better person.

sandra's always gone above and beyond the call of duty. she -- she's in charge of the street parks program and i'm involved with that kind of work in the city. she's also involved with the clean streets program. and she's also -- a lot of people don't know this -- a board member of the american community garden association. and she ran the show for this big huge conference we had this last august. i called her the hener lisa ma. she's real a dine a moe and we're so lucky to have her in the city. * dynamo. so, i want to invite sandra up here as our most empowering city employee of the year. (applause) >> everybody here, sandra has touched all your lives.